It's far from a stamp of approval, but it's a sign that Rivera will be given a chance to further reveal his blueprint for a team that's gone 13-21 during his tenure. Rivera's presumed specialty is defense, and we're starting to see why. The Panthers have developed a nasty front seven that badgered Eli Manning with a whopping seven sacks Sunday.

Rivera has plenty of talent on the roster and 13 more games to show he's the best man to conduct this orchestra.